


Not Enough, Never Enough

by IrreverentFangirl



Series: Thallen Week One-Shots [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aromantic Character, Asexual Character, Heterochromia, Implied Character Death, M/M, Name Marks, Thallen Week 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:03:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4010374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrreverentFangirl/pseuds/IrreverentFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even though Barry knew soulmates didn't necessarily mean happiness, he felt like everything was going his way for once.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Enough, Never Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry this is so crappy. I didn't have time to edit it or go over. Hope you guys like it though! It's for Day 1 of Thallen week.

Barry Allen was born with one gray-green eyes, one gorgeous blue eyes, and the name 'Iris West' written down his back in fast, sloppy cursive. 

That wasn't common, but it was rare either. Each person was different and so was each soulmate pairing. Barry having heterochromia and a sig wasn't really that surprising. It would either end with him going into a polyamorous relationship, rare but not unknown, or never connecting with one of his soulmates. 

Barry grew up never really thinking about it; he was a little boy, he didn't care about romance, he cared about superheroes and action figures. That changed when he turned eight and met Iris West. He had shyly walked up to her and said, "Hi, I'm Barry Allen." She had grinned at him and asked if he wanted to play together on the monkey gym. All of a sudden, shy, awkward Barry Allen had a best friend. 

It wasn't until a month later that he learned that Iris didn't have a sig. He asked his mother what he should do and she advised that he kept the knowledge of his sig secret. He agreed and started wearing concealer on his back, just in case. 

Three years later, he was living with her. 

~ 

It wasn't as hard as one might think to grow up with his one of his soulmates. The problem was that he fell more and more in love with Iris as the years crawled on. 

He had told Joe after he had moved in and the man had looked down at him and made him promise to never tell Iris. With a heavy stomach, he had agreed. That dread had morphed into acceptance and determination when he was seventeen. She had come to him with tears streaming down her cheeks and had asked, no begged, him to help her find something that would make her feel less broken. She told him that it wasn't just that she didn't have a soulmate, but that she'd also never had a crush. 

She had never romantically felt anything for anyone, ever. Together they did some research and they found the word aromantic. She had grinned at him and hugged him as hard as she could, thanking him for helping her find a word that made her feel whole. 

With a shattered heart and a spine of steel, he hugged her back and told her it was fine. He knew he would never tell her that she was his soulmate then. 

Besides finally accepting that he and Iris would never be together the way he wanted them to be, the search helped in another way. Two weeks after it, he came out to Joe and Iris as panromantic and asexual. Iris, who had realized that her sexuality was pansexual, had laughed and said they complimented each other. He agreed full-heartedly. 

~ 

Eight years later, he was happy. He had graduated from college with honors, getting degrees in chemistry and biology. He had a great job working at the CCPD, with Joe, and he and Iris were still best friends. 

He didn't care that he had yet to meet his other soulmate. 

On the day the particle accelerator had opened, he was running after the person who had stolen Iris's bag. Somebody else managed to stop them though. He tried to stop his running but instead slammed into the guy who had caught the thief. 

He landed on his butt and he sat there, on the ground, for a second. A hand appeared in his line of vision. Instinctually, he grabbed it and was tugged up. "Thanks," he said, letting go and dusting himself off. "I probably wasn't gonna catch the guy." 

He looked up to meet the guy's eyes and was struck with a burning. He jolted back and slammed the palms of his hands into his eyes. When the burning faded, he chanced looking up and met a pair of striking blue eyes. Very familiar blue eyes. 

"Hi," the other guy said. "I'm Eddie Thawne." 

"Barry Allen," Barry said back. 

"Want to get coffee sometime? I think we're soulmates," Eddie said. 

Barry couldn't smother the laughter that burst free at the other man's words; they were adorably awkward. "Sure. You're right, after all," he teased. 

Even though Barry knew soulmates didn't necessarily mean happiness, he felt like everything was going his way for once.


End file.
